2023 Featured Wineries

Ankida Ridge Vineyards, a small 6-acre, family-run vineyard in Amherst County, was planted in 2008 at 1800 ft elevation on the eastern slope of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity and no morning dew, together with their steep, rocky slope of well-drained charnockite granite soils, all play a role in creating this unique and beautiful site that is producing distinctive wines of international recognition. Owners Dennis and Christine Vrooman and their winemaker son, Nathan, work hard to implement sustainability in their vineyard protocols. Their goal is to look for creative ways to maintain balance with nature, their vines and wines.

Defying the unanimous advice of everyone to plant tobacco at Barboursville, Gianni Zonin -- heir to an Italian family wine enterprise -- acquired this plantation in 1976 with the seemingly ridiculous expectation of creating a vineyard. Jefferson had attempted this, always failing to achieve a single harvest. Family friend Gabriele Rausse joined him and in 1990, Luca Paschina took over as general manager and winemaker. Their perspective on the role of wine in life is drawn from a trust in the land and a humility in the exercise of their skills to elicit its finest fruits. They embrace technical innovation with the least intervention in this process, consistent with developing the wine’s inherent varietal character and signature of place and time. Our taste, bred of centuries of European custom, is for wine of great companionability with food, of elegant expression throughout a meal and, ideally, of longevity in the cellar, with harmonious balance.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Early Mountain Vineyards crafts elegant wines that reflect the best the land has to offer. Founded in 2011 by Jean and Steve Case, Early Mountain's winemaking team brings top Virginia mountainside vineyards to bottle, achieving meteoric growth and national press recognition while attracting wine lovers from around the country to their topflight tasting room. Renowned for their popular Rosé, electric Petit Manseng, site specific Cabernet Franc series as well as age-worthy red blends, their diversity of offerings reflect the bounty of Virginia wine.

Wine lover and entrepreneur Dennis Horton began his winemaking venture with a small home vineyard in Madison County, Virginia in 1983. It did not take him long to realize that, although the Virginia summers were warm enough to ripen almost any grape variety. So the decision was made to plant Viognier, along with lesser amounts of Marsanne, Mourvedre, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and several other grape varieties like the native grape Norton. The national success of these wines shows that if the right grapes are planted for the climate of Virginia, the results can be stunning. In the future, Horton Vineyards will continue to explore new varietals and different techniques in the cellar to discover the best that Virginia viticulture can produce

SPARKLING WINE SPONSOR

Located on more than 55 acres in Virginia’s Monticello wine region, Veritas is recognized for its complex portfolio of wine ranging from sparkling to beautifully balanced red wines. Founded by Andrew and Patricia Hodson, Veritas Vineyard and Winery is a 20-year-old family business on the leading edge of the Virginia wine industry. The Veritas philosophy is to make wine with the classic, old-world principles of viticulture and vinification while incorporating state-of-the-art technology to capture varietal and regional character. Today Veritas produces a range of some of the most sought-after Virginia wines including their outstanding Viognier, Petit Verdot, and Sauvignon Blanc. They have most recently launched a Sparkling Wine series and believe they can compete with the best in the world.